Argument:The combination of multinational food conglomerates and subsidizing practices by the US government creates a food industry that threatens the health of the general population, and the livelihoods of farmers and breeders. All of this is done under a shroud of secrecy that is maintained by the lack of regulatory control by the federal government due to conflict of interest by political appointees to the regulating agencies. The argument stems from the popularization of the fast food industry and how the demand it placed on the providers of raw food materials created a need for the utmost control of every food source producing precise quality.
Problems:The sustainability problems that emerge from the film are primarily health related but also touch on the delicate future of the food production industry that threatens continued crop growth. The source of the problem stems from the fast food industry. McDonald's is specifically targeted as the company who initialized the production line manner of food production and how this production line mentality spread through the rest of the supply chain. As McDonald's and other fast food restaurants expanded, they demanded a consistency in their products nationwide forcing cattle and food providers to scale up operations to meet demand and themselves industrialize the entire process. What stems from this system is the complete integration of the production process into the industrial model of a singular company, from growing to processing. Farmers have no choice but to adapt to the new procedures required by the corporations so they can still sell their product, but often move into direct contracts with the processing companies. This eventually brought about the creation of GMO's, genetically modified organisms, which debate is still out about their impact on human health. But GMO's did place unfair pressure on farmers to switch to resistant seeds, universalizing the crop and putting unfair pressures on farmers that didn't swtich to the GMO seeds. Health effects emerge from these practices as farmers are exposed to high amounts of chemical pesticides, herbicides, and antibiotics as well as the general public being threatened by E-coli runoff from the mutating E-coli bacteria in cattle raising due to the corn diet.
Persuasive:There were many compelling portions of this documentary and overall I thought it was very well done except for a few parts. There was a proportionate mix of personal stories mixed in with larger scale issues and and the personnel stories did a good job mixing up the audience they were trying to reach and making it seem like the attitudes expressed were common amongst all involved in similar levels. I was extremely disturbed by the portion of the film that focused on the large chemical companies attacking small farmers because the companies seed had spread through a natural system to their fields and contaminated their product. These farmers have no choice but to settle out of court as they cannot afford to battle in court against the wealth of the large companies. This is a continuous theme throughout the movies I have seen that appears to be the lynchpin of progress. Companies shouldn't be allowed to move lawyers across state lines in cases like these. They should be considered licensed in a similar way as architects where you have to become licensed in the state where a project is occuring before you can actually sign off on the construction documents. The judicial system needs more restrictions on the amount of money spent on cases because with more affluence comes the power to purchase more skilled lawyers and experts. Before this film I never thought that the E-coli outbreaks that were popping up across the country were caused by the manner in which cattle are fed. It is a direct cause and effect relationship that remains hidden from public view and illustrates a direct consequence of improper methods that clash with evolutionary biology.
Not Compelled:There was very little this movie lacked in terms of depth specific to the topic. I was worried in the beginning of the movie where propaganda like imagery was used depicting businessmen marching across fields towards polluting food production plants. All of the stories seemed solid and offered keen insight into the system. Even the part I thought I was going to not be compelled by ended on an interesting note. This was the part where the farmer they interviewed who sold locally and produced high quality meat and vegetables. I am usually skeptical when these people are placed next to a critique of huge systems because the local farmer model is not something that can sustain the size and demand of this country. But at the end of his segment he even said that if business increases he doesn't know what he'd do but wants to remain at his current production size. There was one blatently unconvincing part of the movie for me which was the involvement of Walmart in the organics industry. This was primarily because of the people they sent to the particular farm and I am always skeptical about these apparently young individuals that really don't appear to have any say in a company when you typically think about these huge corporations.
Audience:One of the great things about this movie is that it pegs not a specific type of demographic or age group but anyone associated with family and community. The story about young Kevin who died at 2.5 over a 10 day period of E-Coli poisoning, strikes home with all mothers and families. The segment regarding the inner city hispanic family in LA that is forced to eat cheap fast food because of time restrictions from overwork and lack of funds to purchase healthy food strikes home again with families. The story of farmers who have been forced to betray each other in their own communities because of chemical company lawsuits affects anyone in a community setting where close relationships are necessary for survival and societal interaction.
Enhancement:I think that it would've been nice to understand a little more why certain things are allowed to happen within the legal system such as precedents making seed spreading and saving illegal. Especially since companies can't prevent me from repeatedly using a product I purchase from them or selling it to someone else once it becomes my property. The chemical companies sell the seed so that they can sell other products, they shouldn't be allowed to be the sole provider of seed, especially since that seems like monopolizing.
Intervention:The intervention that they suggest at the end of the movie is two-fold. One is that consumers need to start making purchase that act as a vote for what they really want to see move to the market. But as clearly evidenced in the movie, not everyone has the ability to do so, making it even more important for those who can to all participate. But at the same time policy changes are needed at the extreme levels of government, including regulatory commissions, who are run by the very people who support the players within the food production industry.
Additional Info:
1]I was inspired to seek out the ways that locally grown food could be purchased both in my current area and for my mom back home in CT. I know of many locations around Troy including a number of farm stands which my roommate lives next to in Schodack. The new food Co-Op also just opened down in Troy and there is a traveling food truck sponsored by the Troy Community Gardens which travels to underprivileged areas to provide fresh produce at affordable rates. When I moved to discover ones at home though I was met with very little options. The natural food co-ops that are present are situated in the most upper class parts of the state, down towards New York City, however there is one growing one called Back to Basic CT Buying Club emerging two towns over from my home. Also many of the farmers markets that are around my home aren't open year round.
2]The movie didn't focus too much on the debate over health impacts of GMO's so I decided to find a bit of research to balance the argument. What I discovered is that the companies that manufacture the products don't actually let any regulatory agencies see what the makeup of the product is because it falls under trade secrets. What has been discovered though is the presence of small amount of the pesticide residues within GMO food goods. Independent testing of these residues has suggested that it effects cellular endocrine distruptors which are the substances that interefere with normal hormone production in cells.
Title: Food, Inc.
Director: Robert Kenner
Release Year: 2008
Argument: The combination of multinational food conglomerates and subsidizing practices by the US government creates a food industry that threatens the health of the general population, and the livelihoods of farmers and breeders. All of this is done under a shroud of secrecy that is maintained by the lack of regulatory control by the federal government due to conflict of interest by political appointees to the regulating agencies. The argument stems from the popularization of the fast food industry and how the demand it placed on the providers of raw food materials created a need for the utmost control of every food source producing precise quality.
Problems: The sustainability problems that emerge from the film are primarily health related but also touch on the delicate future of the food production industry that threatens continued crop growth. The source of the problem stems from the fast food industry. McDonald's is specifically targeted as the company who initialized the production line manner of food production and how this production line mentality spread through the rest of the supply chain. As McDonald's and other fast food restaurants expanded, they demanded a consistency in their products nationwide forcing cattle and food providers to scale up operations to meet demand and themselves industrialize the entire process. What stems from this system is the complete integration of the production process into the industrial model of a singular company, from growing to processing. Farmers have no choice but to adapt to the new procedures required by the corporations so they can still sell their product, but often move into direct contracts with the processing companies. This eventually brought about the creation of GMO's, genetically modified organisms, which debate is still out about their impact on human health. But GMO's did place unfair pressure on farmers to switch to resistant seeds, universalizing the crop and putting unfair pressures on farmers that didn't swtich to the GMO seeds. Health effects emerge from these practices as farmers are exposed to high amounts of chemical pesticides, herbicides, and antibiotics as well as the general public being threatened by E-coli runoff from the mutating E-coli bacteria in cattle raising due to the corn diet.
Persuasive: There were many compelling portions of this documentary and overall I thought it was very well done except for a few parts. There was a proportionate mix of personal stories mixed in with larger scale issues and and the personnel stories did a good job mixing up the audience they were trying to reach and making it seem like the attitudes expressed were common amongst all involved in similar levels. I was extremely disturbed by the portion of the film that focused on the large chemical companies attacking small farmers because the companies seed had spread through a natural system to their fields and contaminated their product. These farmers have no choice but to settle out of court as they cannot afford to battle in court against the wealth of the large companies. This is a continuous theme throughout the movies I have seen that appears to be the lynchpin of progress. Companies shouldn't be allowed to move lawyers across state lines in cases like these. They should be considered licensed in a similar way as architects where you have to become licensed in the state where a project is occuring before you can actually sign off on the construction documents. The judicial system needs more restrictions on the amount of money spent on cases because with more affluence comes the power to purchase more skilled lawyers and experts. Before this film I never thought that the E-coli outbreaks that were popping up across the country were caused by the manner in which cattle are fed. It is a direct cause and effect relationship that remains hidden from public view and illustrates a direct consequence of improper methods that clash with evolutionary biology.
Not Compelled: There was very little this movie lacked in terms of depth specific to the topic. I was worried in the beginning of the movie where propaganda like imagery was used depicting businessmen marching across fields towards polluting food production plants. All of the stories seemed solid and offered keen insight into the system. Even the part I thought I was going to not be compelled by ended on an interesting note. This was the part where the farmer they interviewed who sold locally and produced high quality meat and vegetables. I am usually skeptical when these people are placed next to a critique of huge systems because the local farmer model is not something that can sustain the size and demand of this country. But at the end of his segment he even said that if business increases he doesn't know what he'd do but wants to remain at his current production size. There was one blatently unconvincing part of the movie for me which was the involvement of Walmart in the organics industry. This was primarily because of the people they sent to the particular farm and I am always skeptical about these apparently young individuals that really don't appear to have any say in a company when you typically think about these huge corporations.
Audience: One of the great things about this movie is that it pegs not a specific type of demographic or age group but anyone associated with family and community. The story about young Kevin who died at 2.5 over a 10 day period of E-Coli poisoning, strikes home with all mothers and families. The segment regarding the inner city hispanic family in LA that is forced to eat cheap fast food because of time restrictions from overwork and lack of funds to purchase healthy food strikes home again with families. The story of farmers who have been forced to betray each other in their own communities because of chemical company lawsuits affects anyone in a community setting where close relationships are necessary for survival and societal interaction.
Enhancement: I think that it would've been nice to understand a little more why certain things are allowed to happen within the legal system such as precedents making seed spreading and saving illegal. Especially since companies can't prevent me from repeatedly using a product I purchase from them or selling it to someone else once it becomes my property. The chemical companies sell the seed so that they can sell other products, they shouldn't be allowed to be the sole provider of seed, especially since that seems like monopolizing.
Intervention: The intervention that they suggest at the end of the movie is two-fold. One is that consumers need to start making purchase that act as a vote for what they really want to see move to the market. But as clearly evidenced in the movie, not everyone has the ability to do so, making it even more important for those who can to all participate. But at the same time policy changes are needed at the extreme levels of government, including regulatory commissions, who are run by the very people who support the players within the food production industry.
Additional Info:
1] I was inspired to seek out the ways that locally grown food could be purchased both in my current area and for my mom back home in CT. I know of many locations around Troy including a number of farm stands which my roommate lives next to in Schodack. The new food Co-Op also just opened down in Troy and there is a traveling food truck sponsored by the Troy Community Gardens which travels to underprivileged areas to provide fresh produce at affordable rates. When I moved to discover ones at home though I was met with very little options. The natural food co-ops that are present are situated in the most upper class parts of the state, down towards New York City, however there is one growing one called Back to Basic CT Buying Club emerging two towns over from my home. Also many of the farmers markets that are around my home aren't open year round.
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/farmersmarkets
http://www.coopdirectory.org/directory.htm#Connecticut
2] The movie didn't focus too much on the debate over health impacts of GMO's so I decided to find a bit of research to balance the argument. What I discovered is that the companies that manufacture the products don't actually let any regulatory agencies see what the makeup of the product is because it falls under trade secrets. What has been discovered though is the presence of small amount of the pesticide residues within GMO food goods. Independent testing of these residues has suggested that it effects cellular endocrine distruptors which are the substances that interefere with normal hormone production in cells.
http://www.biolsci.org/v06p0590.htm
http://www.spaef.com/file.php?id=931